ought to be fined by the FTC, or worse

Fines don't work, just start throwing people in jail already.

OP seems to be Austrian. I don't think the FTC has anything to say about Austrian laws.

Good to know... Is this only related to software hacking? Or is the warning sticker on hardware also bullshit?

Bought my Pixel just for GrapheneOS. It is not perfect, but better than all the Samsung etc. shit. And for the next couple years I am not forced to upgrade due to missing security updates, so there's that.

My sexual orientation is now this post.

Signal

SMS is arguably worse than WhatsApp, at least in terms of overall security

SMS is literally unencrypted and contents of messages stored on your cell provider’s servers. At least WhatsApp is E2E encrypted (even if the metadata isn’t- just use Signal).

SMS lol

Make them text you by sms

SMS is expensive in Europe. There is a border and international charges every 100 kms.

Banks that do this are just ignorant and hypocritical. Those same banks will let you log in from a web browser on the phone that is just as (un)likely to be compromised or from a desktop computer where you also have admin rights.

Change banks bro.

decent phone

-costs $800

For peeps who want a lower cost option, Motorola allows easy unlocking too. I have a moto g7 power that I got for under $100 running Lineageos with microG. Its a six year old phone but it runs Android 14 just fine. I work in construction and I don't even use a case because these Motorola phones are durable and inexpensive.

helps if you specifically get a phone model that isn't absolute bullshit, pixels generally don't actively fight you, which is extremely ironic since they're google's flagship.

Does your bank have a web version? If not, it's better to have a second phone with the official ROM.

Otherwise, let them reach to you via Facebook which you open only in web browser in containerized tab.

I just hire a rando guy from a different country to become me on Facebook. Then I have them email screenshots to a different email. A separate person gets those emails and prints them out. They mail it to a PO box, which gets picked up by a whole different person. The handoff happens at 615pm at the subway on Broadway Ave.

I open the handoff. It's pictures of my niece celebrating her 6th birthday. I give the guy a thumbs up. He takes that thumbs up, translates it back to paper and reverses the whole process.

It takes 6 weeks for me to respond. But that's the price of security.

I would skip the WhatsApp. It’s trash. Fight me hundreds of million people for whom WhatsApp is the de facto standard for instant messaging and calls.

FTFY. I was in Bali this summer, everyone uses WhatsApp. Spent three days in an upscale hotel, on the check-in form they specifically ask for your WhatsApp number, which they use for everything: room service, special requests, restaurant and spa bookings, ...